Two T-4 trainers belonging to the Blue Impulse aerobatic display team of the Japanese air force made contact as they practiced flying in formation. (Kawasaki)

TOKYO — Three pilots escaped unharmed Wednesday after their jet planes collided in midair off the Japanese coast, a military spokesman said.

Two T-4 trainers belonging to the Blue Impulse aerobatic display team of the Japanese air force made contact as they practiced flying in formation, with one plane damaging part of its nose and the other losing a bit of a stabilizer.

The jets landed safely at Matsushima Air Base in northern Japan after the incident over the Pacific Ocean some 45 kilometers (28 miles) southeast of the base, the spokesman said.

It was the first midair collision involving the T-4, the said, adding the air force was looking into its cause.